Dr. Jinhee Choi



Professor, School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul

 Contact Information

Call     +82 (02) 6490 2869
Email   jinhchoi@uos.ac.kr



Research Interests

1. Understanding molecular mechanism of toxicity of environmental chemicals using multi-OMICS and systems toxicology approach

2. 
Development of toxicity prediction model based on toxicity big data and machine learning approach

3. 
Development of Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) for environmental chemicals toxicity screening

4. 
Understanding epigenetic mechanism in environmental chemicals-induced toxicity and disease development using multi-models

5. 
Understanding mechanism of environmental pollution-induced epigenetic and evolutionary changes in eco-toxicologically relevant species
Research Keywords
 
Systems Toxicology, Computational Toxicology, Nanotoxicology, Ecotoxicology, Environmental Epigenetics, Adverse Outcome Pathway, High Throughput Screening, Multi-OMICS


Biography

Jinhee Choi is interested in understanding the molecular mechanism of environmental chemicals-induced toxicity for protection of human and ecosystem health. She did her PhD in Eco-toxicology Lab of University of Paris-Sud (XI), Orsay, France.During her PhD, she conducted multi-bio-marker research in various lab and field scale eco-toxicology projects and identified oxidative stress bio-markers due to chemical exposure in freshwater invertebrates. After her PhD, she did postdoctoral fellowship in Seoul National University, Medical school. 

While then she investigated DNA repair mechanism due to oxidative DNA damage in various in-vitro and in-vivo and human biopsy samples. Her PhD and postdoctoral experiences were quite different yet both productive and interlinked and were served as a background for her interdisciplinary research in environmental toxicology.When she established her own lab in University of Seoul, School of Environmental Engineering in 2002, she tried to incorporate her multidisciplinary experiences using different model systems. Her interest lies in systemic understanding of molecular mechanism of toxicity due to environmental chemicals exposure. 

For this, she applies multi-OMICS and systems toxicology technologies,which provide unbiased novel information on chemical toxicity and help to develop mechanistic model for toxicity prediction. The ultimate goal of her research is to bridge the gap between mechanistic toxicological research and the development of useful tools for risk assessment. To this end, she leads a research project on development of adverse outcome pathway (AOP) of inhalation toxicity under OECD program. On the other hand, she is also interested in epigenetic mechanism in environmental chemicals -induced toxicity and human disease development. 

She conducts environmental epigenetics project also in eco-toxicological contexts, by investigating multi- and trans-generational effect of chronic exposure of chemicals in invertebrates. She has been used various model organisms in human toxicology as well as eco-toxicology contexts and thus her interest naturally lies in cross-species extrapolation of the conserved toxic mechanism. She has been investigated toxicity from various environmental chemicals, with special attention on nano-material’s toxicity. However, as her stressors of interests go beyond chemicals, she recently investigates combined effect of chemicals exposure with physical or biological agents, such as, temperature or microbiome. She is a full professor of School of Environmental Engineering in University of Seoul.


Educations

 
1998
University of Paris-Sud (XI), France 
‌PhD in Environmental Toxicology
1993
Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
‌MS in Environmental Planning
1991
Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
‌BS in Biology


Professional Experience

 
2002 ~
Assistant, Associate, Full Professor
‌School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul
2010 - 2011
Visiting Professor
Nicolas School of Environment, Duke University, USA
1999 - 2002
Post-doc Fellow
Seoul National University, Medical School


Service in Academic Societies

 
2022
Korean Society of Environmental Toxicology and Health, President
2020 - 2021
Korean Society of Environmental Toxicology and Health, Vice President
2017
SETAC Europe 27th Annual Meeting (Brussels), 21st century Ecotoxicology and Human toxicology: 
‌Applications and perspectives for the use of OMICs data, Session co-chair
2016 - 2017
The 12th International Conference and 5th Asian Congress on Environmental Mutagens 
(ICEM2017/ACEM 2017), Scientific Program Committee Member
2016
The 10th SETAC Asia/Pacific Conference, Environmental OMICS, Session co-chair
2015 ~ 
SETAC OMICS Global Adversary Group, Steering Committee
2014 ~ 
Korean Society of Environmental Toxicologyand Health, Research Committee Chair
2014 ~
Korean Society of Toxicology,Scientific Committee Member
2014 ~ 
Toxicological Research, Associated Editor
2014 - 2015
The 7th Asian Conference on Toxicology (ASIATOX)
2013 ~ 
SETAC EVOGENERATE working group(in ERA Global AG), Member
2012 ~ 
Environmental Health and Toxicology, Associated Editor
2012 - 2013
The 13th International Conference on Toxicology (ICT)Steering Committee
2012 - 2013
The 2nd International Conference on Environmental OMICS (EOMICS), Program Co-Chair
2012 - 2013
Korean Society of Environmental Toxicology and Health, Secretary General
2009 - 2011
Korean Journal of Environmental Toxicology, Editor-in-Chief
2007 - 2016
Environmental Engineering Research, Associated Editor

Service for Governmental Agencies

 
2019 - 2020
Korean Presidential Adversary Council on Science and Technology, Member 
대통령직속 국가과학기술 자문회의 자문위원
2018 - 2020
Korean National Research Foundation, ICT and Convergence Research, Review Board
‌한국연구재단 기초연구본부 ICT융합연구단 전문위원
2019 - 2022
Korean Ministry of Environment, Biocide Council Member 
환경부 생활화학제품 및 살생물제 관리워원회 위원
2018
The Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies, Member 
과학기술총연합회 국민생활과학기술지원센터 운영위원
2017
Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Korea National Toxicology Program (KNTP), Member 
독성시험평가 전문위원회 (KNTP) (식약처), 위원
2016
Korean Ministry of Environment, Committee for the Safety of household products, Member
‌생활화학제품 안전성 검증위원회 (환경부), 검증위원
2015 - 2016
Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Research Fellow board member
‌식품안전정책위원회, 화학물질분야 (식약처), 전문위원
2015
Committee for Off-site Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan, Member
장외영향평가서 위해관리계획 위원회 (화학물질안전원), 검토위원
2009 ~ 2010
Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Mine Reclamation Corp. 
한국광해관리공단 (산업통상자원부), 비상임이사


Awards & Prizes

Best Lecture Award 
(강의우수교수상)

University of Seoul

2018
Highly cited researcher 
- Top 1% in Toxicology
(세계 상위 1% 과학자상)

Clarivate Analytics

2017
Highly cited researcher 
- Top 1% in Toxicology 
(세계 상위 1% 과학자상)

Clarivate Analytics

2016
Best Woman Researcher 
2016 Award 
(올해의 여성과학기술자상)

Ministry of Science, ICT, Future Planning of Korea

2016
Achievement Award  
(장관 표창)

Ministry of Environment of Korea

2016
Best Lecture Award 
(강의우수교수상)

University of Seoul

2016
Highly cited researcher 
- Top 1% in Toxicology 
(세계 상위 1% 과학자상)

Thomson Reuters

2015
Best Paper Award
(우수논문상)

Korean Society of Environment and Health 

2015
Best Lecture Award 
(강의우수교수상)

University of Seoul

2014
Best Research Award
(연구최우수교수상)

University of Seoul

2010
Young Scientist Award 
(젊은과학자상)

10th Society for Free Radical Research International (SFRRI)

2002